In Time
by snowdrifts
Summary: After touching an ancient artifact in a museum, Riley finds herself in an alternate universe. Maya and Lucas are dating, her little brother is actually her older brother, her uncle Shawn is married to Angela, her parents are divorced but worst of all: none of her friends are the same. Can she make it home in time before it's too late? [Riarkle in late chapters.] [Includes Lucaya.]
1. Prologue

**A/N: Me and my weird stories. This is a new multi-chapt. story! This is mostly to have fun with; we'll see how weird it can get. Basically, Riley Matthews finds herself in a whole lotta trouble when she picks up an ancient artifact, which is believed to be the gateway to another world. I hope you'll enjoy this story! This is just the prologue, the other chapters will be much longer.**

 **Little note: The characters are all on their first year of high school. :)**

 _Full summary: After touching an ancient artifact in a museum, Riley finds herself in an alternative universe. Maya and Lucas are dating, her little brother is actually her older brother, her uncle Shawn is married to Angela, her parents are divorced but worst of all: none of her friends remember who she is. Can she make it home in time before it's too late?_

* * *

"Alright, kids. I'll be near the ancient artifact exhibit at two. You have two hours to explore the museum and pick any piece of art you would like to do your project on. Stay in groups of four or more and try not to get lost too much." Mrs. Kossal said, an amused smile on her face. The look of surprise on her students' faces must have been great for her to look so amused. Who would have thought that she would let them run around a museum?

Riley turned to her four friends. They were already waiting to go to the painting exhibit on the other side of the museum. Maya was tugging at Farkle's shirt, trying to get them to move. "C'mon! You guys are so slow. I'll go on my own if you don't hurry up." The blonde said, a frown tugging at her lips. Riley made her way over to the blonde and hooked her arm around her best friend's, letting her pull her along to the painting exhibit.

After an hour of hearing Lucas and Maya bicker over the meaning of the paintings, the three friends following the frenemies decided to run off when they weren't looking. They're bickering had been non-stop ever since the Texas trip (that actually turned out to be quite fun, except for the bickering and all of the awkwardness following their infamous trip).

After a few minutes of wandering around the museum, Farkle suggested that they check out the ancient artifact exhibit. The three found themselves standing in front of the beautiful golden artifact. It was truly a wonderful thing.

"Legend has it that this artifact could be the gateway to another world," Zay started, reading the text appearing on the screen next to the artifact. "Many have experienced its powers. It is said that this artifact could be the _Gateway to Infinity_." Zay finished. He looked up at the golden artifact. "That's a load of crap, you stupid artifact."

"Don't insult it!" Riley exclaimed.

"Riley, you do know that there is nothing such as alternate realities, right?" Zay asked. The brunette didn't answer, upset with the fact that her friend would shut down the idea without even testing out the theory.

"There's only one way to find out." Riley said, reaching for the artifact through the opening at the top. It was fairly small, but if she wiggled her fingers enough, she could touch it. But Farkle grabbed her hand.

"If there _is_ such a thing as alternate realities, maybe we should leave this alone. Have you never seen a movie, Riley? Anyone who travels to an alternate reality wishes they never did."

"Fine. I won't touch it." The brunette said reluctantly. She pulled her hand away from Farkle's, a pout on her lips.

"Don't give me that look." Farkle said. Riley knew very well that her pout always got her what she wanted around Farkle, but lately, it seemed that he was finding tricks to ignore her. "Let's go find Lucas and Maya. Hopefully, one of them isn't lying in a puddle of their own blood." The brunet continued with an eye-roll.

The two boys started walking, never noticing that Riley wasn't following. As soon as they were out of sight, Riley reached inside the glass case.

Her fingers caught the artifact and lifted it slightly from its stand.

An alarm blared through the speakers.

Guards came rushing through the doors, guns pointed at her.

Riley had the artifact in hand.

She turned around, arms lifted above her head, artifact still in hand.

"Drop it!" One of the guards yelled, but everything sounded like it came from far away. Her vision had blurred. She felt like the world was spinning all around her.

She saw a strange blue light flash before her eyes.

" _Riley!_ " She heard a distant voice shout. But it was too late.

Everything went black.


	2. Wake Up, Riley!

**A/N: Alright! Here's where it starts getting weird! This fic is just for me to have fun, really. We'll see how weird this can get. ;) Today, Riley sees that something is definitely wrong with her life. You'll see what.**

 **Also, I'll give a cyber-cookie to anyone who knows where the alarm clock with 'Wake Up, Riley!' reference comes from. One cookie if you guess the correct movie, another cookie if you guess what name goes instead of Riley. ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Riley opened her eyes and sat up, out of breath. Her alarm clock was beeping, the words ' _Wake Up, Riley!'_ illuminating her dark bedroom in a red light. Curtains blocked the windows, keeping the sun from waking her with its light. It was 6:30 AM – Maya would be at her window in thirty minutes to pick her up for school.

The brunette got up. Her head still hurt from that strange dream she had during the night; it almost felt like it wasn't a dream. She told herself it was just because of the excitement she was feeling about visiting the museum; she and Maya had been looking forward to that field trip for weeks, now. The brunette switched on her bedroom lights and looked at her calendar to make sure that the trip was, indeed, today. But today's date made her frown.

 _Monday, October 17_ _th_ _, 2015._

 _Exactly a month before the visit to the museum._

She furrowed her brows. Riley crossed off every day on her calendar before going to bed, at night. It was impossible that she had forgotten to do so for a whole month.

"Riley! Breakfast!" Her mother called out.

"Be right out!" Riley replied, going to her dresser. She picked up an elastic band and her hairbrush, deciding to do a simple side-bride in her hair, for today. But the sight of her in her mirror almost made her scream.

Her long brown hair was cut short, to her shoulders. Her naturally wavy hair was a lighter shade of brown than she was used to, but she didn't remember dyeing it. Or cutting it.

In panic, Riley threw her hair into a ponytail. It was much shorter than she was used to. She knew that only one person would have cut her hair like that during her sleep to get back at her for cutting one curl while he was sleeping for a science project: Auggie.

Riley let out an angry sigh. After she would speak to her mother about this, Auggie would be in so much trouble.

Making her way to her closet, Riley noticed that her bedroom wasn't how she remembered it. Her bunny night-light was nowhere in sight, the curtains over her window were white instead of purple and her closet door was covered in sharpie. Someone had written hundreds and hundreds of quotes on the white door.

She opened the door; none of her clothes had been ripped or stolen, but her pink sweater was missing. She had probably worn it during the week-end when she had been working at _Topanga's._ Riley threw on a plaid shirt that she vaguely remembers buying with Maya, a black tank-top and some ripped jeans. Now that she looked at her jeans, she could see that _all of them_ were ripped.

Oh, Auggie was going to be in serious trouble.

Trying to keep her calm, the brunette slipped on her favorite brown boots. At least Auggie hadn't attacked her favorite boots.

She made her way out of the door, her usual smile replaced by a frown. "Mom!" Riley called out angrily. "Auggie cut my hair!"

"Oh, sweetie," Her mother started, sitting in the kitchen, listening to her daughter angrily stomping her boots on the floor. "Don't start with this again. It was just a joke. We got it fixed last month, remember?"

 _Last month?_

Riley sat down at the dining table and looked down at her plate, ready to eat some pancakes and bacon that her mom always made. You can understand her disgust when she saw oatmeal and fruits that she had never seen before in her life. The brunette finally looked up at her mother and did a double-take. Topanga's usual waves were replaced by curly, frizzy hair. She was wearing the same clothes that Riley remembers seeing in the pictures of her mother, father and Uncle Shawn from middle school.

"What are you wearing?" Riley asked.

"I think the actual question is, what the hell are _you_ wearing?" A deep voice said from down the hall.

"Who is that?"

"Riley, what's wrong with you this morning? You seem very… Different." Her mother said.

"Where's dad?"

"Mom and dad got divorced two years ago, Zippy." The deep voice said, stepping inside the kitchen and sitting in front of her.

 _What? Divorced?_

The boy didn't look much older than her. He had the same curly hair as Auggie, the same brown eyes, he also sounded like her brother. But her brother was six years old. Not seventeen.

"Auggie?" Riley asked.

"What?" He said, glancing up at her before continuing to chow down his breakfast. Riley put down her fork. She felt like she was going to be sick.

 _This can't be real._

 _This isn't happening._

 _This is just a joke._

 _They heard you passed out and decided to prank you. That's all._

Three knocks on the door interrupted her thoughts. Her and her brother (Was he her brother?) stood up at the same time.

"Sorry, Zippy. Can't drive you to school, today. Ava and her friends are driving me." Auggie said, giving Topanga a kiss on the cheek before going to the door. He grabbed a leather jacket and his backpack before swinging the door opened. A beautiful blonde with curly hair stood on the other side.

"Hey, _baby_." The girl said. The way she said ' _baby_ ' reminded her so much of the way Ava used to call him. It was the same tone, the same smile, the same look of malice in her eyes.

"Hey, Ava." Auggie replied. He greeted her with a kiss on the lips, before the two headed out.

Riley dropped down into her seat.

"Are you okay?" Topanga asked her daughter, obviously concerned by her behavior. "I'm sensing something strange is going on with you. I can't quite put my finger on it." She continued.

"I just thought that that was Maya." Riley answered, looking over at the clock. It was 7:05.

"Sweetie, who's Maya?"


	3. Under the bleachers

**A/N: You may have noticed that I have changed the story's description. I feel a lot more comfortable with the gang and Riley knowing each other, but not in the way you'd think. ;) This story is rated T for good reason: there's going to be swearing, drug use and it might include other things. I hope you guys will stick with me through this adventure. :)**

 **Here's chapter three for y'all! Enjoy!**

* * *

Riley ignored her mother on the whole way to school. She didn't want to speak to her. If this was, like she thought before, a prank, then she didn't want to be a part of it. But Topanga had been so confused about who Maya was, and Auggie and Ava looked too much like their younger selves to actually be actors. The world was a large place, though; there's always a possibility that someone looks exactly like you.

She hoped that the other Riley was having way more fun on her side.

After her mother dropped her off and drove off in her car (which actually turned out to be a _juice truck_ ), Riley made her way through the front doors of John Adams High. She knew her four friends wouldn't be able to act like they didn't know her for too long.

What she saw made her stop in her tracks.

She wasn't so sure it was a prank anymore. If it was, they had gotten the whole school involved. The only two people who hadn't changed were Darby and Yogi – they were still making heart eyes at each other. Riley was glad. She liked them together. But the rest of the school? Not so much, anymore.

Through the crowd, she could see Charlie and Missy. The boy had his arm wrapped around her waist, and he was – surprisingly enough – wearing a letterman jacket. Charlie had always hated sports with a passion, same goes for the people participating in those sports.

On the other side of the hallway was Farkle, leaning against a wall, arms crossed, speaking to a small group of girls. The girls were all giggling at what he had said, an apparently funny joke that Riley didn't catch. He winked at them before walking to his locker: the one next to hers.

She walked over to her locker quickly just as he reached his, and she entered the code. _1-25-5._ She sighed in relief when her locker opened. At least that hadn't changed.

The first bell rang. Riley quickly grabbed her things and turned to Farkle.

"Hi, Farkle." She said.

The boy turned to her, all smiles. "Hey, Riles." She sighed in relief for the second time today: Farkle remembered her. "What do you say we skip first period? Your dad won't miss us too much."

 _Farkle wanting to skip class?_

"The others are waiting for us. It's cool if you want to go, though." He continued.

 _The others._

Riley assumed he was speaking of their other friends. She immediately put her things back inside her locker, keeping her backpack. "Let's go."

* * *

Riley had thought that she had seen it all. Her mother dressed as a hippie, Auggie being part of the popular group and having a girlfriend, her parents being divorced, Farkle wanting to skip class. But what was waiting for her under the bleachers of the football field made her want to vomit.

The three people that she called her friends were all there. But there were so many differences in their styles, the looks in their eyes. All the small things she loved about them were gone.

There was also the fact that Maya and Lucas were pressed against a metal beam, making out like they wouldn't see each other tomorrow. That didn't help the nausea.

"Guys, you remember Riley." Farkle said.

 _Oh, no._

"Sure." Maya said once she had finally pulled away from Lucas. The duo had a gleam in their eyes that Riley recognized as dangerous. The two were wearing leather jackets over their clothes, an obvious statement that they were the bad guy/girl couple of the school.

Of to the side, Zay was leaning on the fence, smoking what looked like a cigarette. Riley hoped it was one, because she wasn't sure she wanted to see her friends smoking a joint and getting high. "Hey, Sugar." Zay called out from his spot.

"Can you guys just stop making out already? It's fucking disgusting. He's not shipping off to war." Farkle said, squatting down to check if the grass was wet. The teen sat down and Riley sat next to him.

"You're just jealous because _your girl_ over there hasn't made a move on you, yet." Maya said, stepping towards Farkle. Her eyes met with Riley's for a second before they went back to Farkle. The way she had said 'your girl', almost as if she was disgusted by Riley made her sad. Why was her best friend acting so hostile towards her? And why was Farkle swearing? He _hated_ swearing.

"Like I've said before, she's not my girl. I've got plenty of girls after me. No need to tie down to one." The boy replied, a smirk tugging at his lips.

The only one that looked the same was Zay. But she didn't want to hope for something and get disappointed. She finally understood how Maya felt all those years.

Once Zay came back, Maya took the new cigarette he had just lit and brought it to her lips. The blonde crouched down in front of Riley, cigarette hanging from her lips, searching for something in the brunette's eyes. "You look different." Maya said, blowing some smoke upwards, just missing Riley's face.

"So I've been told." The brunette replied. Maya smiled sweetly and nodded at the girl before standing up and taking a long drag off of her cigarette.

The only one who hadn't spoken to her yet was Lucas. Riley looked up at the blond, trying to get some sort of familiar feeling from him. She finally realized that he was looking at her, analyzing her. He was scrutinizing her, and Riley shifted uncomfortably, turning her eyes over to Zay, hoping he would stop. But she could still feel Lucas' eyes on her.

"You're different," Lucas finally said. The boy stood next to his girlfriend, sliding his hand on the small of the blonde's back. Almost as if they were used to doing this, Maya held her hand higher and Lucas took a drag off of the cigarette she was holding. "Something about you has changed." He continued, letting the smoke escape through his mouth.

"I-I don't know what you mean." The brunette said.

"I've noticed that too. You never talk to me first. You never hesitate when I ask you to skip class. And usually, you smoke too." Farkle pointed out. Riley felt like she was choking. She smoked. She never spoke to Farkle first. She skipped class. All of which she would never do.

"And you're sitting up straighter than usual," Zay added. The three others turned to him, confused looks on their faces. "What? We were all thinking it." The boy said before the three others turned back to the brunette.

Having her four best friends stare her down like this was certainly strange. "You don't understand; this isn't real."

"What?" Maya asked.

"This is just a dream! I'm dreaming. Or it's a prank. A simple, harmless prank…" The brunette trailed off, reaching to play with her ponytail, just like she did whenever she got nervous – but her hair was too short.

Lucas laughed. "Farkle, what did you give her? She's already high!"

"I swear, it wasn't me." Farkle said, studying Riley's eyes. He was the only one who wasn't laughing at her odd behavior.

"Alright, well, we're going to head in. Catch you guys after school." Maya said, a smile still on her lips. She grabbed Lucas' hand and the couple walked off, back towards the school. A few seconds after, Zay stomped on his cigarette and followed Lucas and Maya, but entered through another door.

Riley turned to Farkle. The boy had noticed that something was definitely wrong with Riley, but he couldn't put his finger on it, yet.

"What do you mean, it's a prank?" He finally asked.

"This! This can't be real life. Lucas and Maya aren't dating. You're supposed to be a genius-"

"I am."

"Zay is supposed to be more light-hearted than this. My hair is long! My clothes and you guys' clothes don't look like this. This – this whole thing is not real." She said.

He pinched her.

"Ow!" The brunette cried out, holding her arm. "What was that for?"

"You're obviously freaked out. I can help you out with that."

"I don't smoke drugs. I don't smoke at all."

"…Okay. If you say so." Farkle said before standing up. He offered her his hand and she took it. He pulled the brunette up and close to him. Riley wasn't used to this kind of proximity with anyone; not even Maya.

"W-What are you doing?" Riley stuttered.

"You're different, Matthews. And I'm going to find out why." He said before letting her go. He made his way back inside and she followed him, afraid of losing her friend out of sight.

She didn't know how different this life she was living now was, but she knew that if anyone could help her, it was Farkle.


	4. The basement

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry you had to wait a bit longer for this chapter. I've been working on a new story plan for this story I really want to write. But anyways, I hope you guys will like this chapter. Riley finally finds out what's going on! :)**

 **To those of you who are waiting for Cory to appear, give it a few chapters. He'll make an appearance soon enough. ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Riley walked into her last class for the day – her class schedule hadn't changed, which was a relief – and sat down at her usual seat at the front of the class. The students walked in, some with a friend, others on their own. Nothing was much different from the morning; everyone was different and Riley couldn't understand why.

It wasn't long until Lucas and Maya walked in, followed a few seconds later by Farkle. Zay was a no show.

Speaking of her four friends, none of them ate together at lunch. They all had their respective groups. They wouldn't even glance at the others. There was an unspoken rule between them that Riley guessed as soon as Maya didn't answer to her hello: inside the walls of John Adams High, they weren't friends. Zay had invited her to eat with him, noticing that the brunette had been obviously shaken by the fact that Maya wouldn't answer her.

After the second bell rang, Miss Burgess stepped into the classroom. She was back to her old style: leather jacket, ripped jeans and combat boots. Her style reminded her a lot of Maya's clothes from earlier today – it almost looked like the two had gone shopping together. Honestly, Riley much preferred the 'wild' Miss Burgess. She was a lot more fun than the façade Harper needed to put on back home.

 _Back home._

Because this place wasn't home. Far from it.

Riley lost herself in the lesson, trying as much as she could to forget that she wasn't at home. For an hour, it almost felt like everything was back to normal.

The bell rang, signaling that class was over. Riley took her time as she picked up her things, waiting for the class to empty. Only Maya and Harper remained with her.

"We're all heading to Farkle's. Lucas will give me a lift." Maya said as Riley stood up, grabbing her bag.

"Alright. Don't be home too late. Diner will be in the fridge." Miss Burgess said to the blonde. Maya gave the woman a genuine smile before heading out and leaving a confused Riley behind.

"You guys live together?" Riley asked her teacher. The woman smiled at her student, slinging her backpack over both shoulders.

"You're the one who asked me to take her in after the accident, Riley."

"The accident?"

"…You don't remember?" Miss Burgess asked in concern. She grabbed her motorcycle helmet and took a few steps towards Riley. "Her mother was driving from the Nighthawk Diner, a few months ago. She got hit by a drunk driver and died."

 _Katy's dead?_

"O-Oh," Riley stuttered. "Right." The brunette added. She swung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the classroom as fast as she could. The hallways had already cleared out, except for her four best friends, who were waiting for her. Miss Burgess was quick to follow Riley out, shutting her classroom door behind her. The woman waved at the group of kids and they waved back before she turned and left.

"Alright, Matthews. You're riding with me." Farkle said.

"You wish she was riding you." Lucas said. Zay and Maya both snorted at his comment and Riley felt a blush creep on her cheeks. Farkle was obviously uncomfortable with the situation until Lucas gave him a clap on the back, saying he was _just kidding._

Riley rode shotgun in Farkle's car. She asked herself when he had learned to drive, but throughout the afternoon, she had understood that they were all born a year earlier. Instead of them being high school freshmen, they were all sophomores. Riley didn't understand what it was about this place that made everything change about them; their whole stories were different.

The car ride was silent for the most part. The duo was too busy listening to the radio, getting lost in the music and their thoughts. Once they arrived at Farkle's home, Riley was glad to see that the house was the same. The driveway was empty; she figured that his parents were working. Hanging out in Farkle's house alone with her 'new' friends didn't seem like a wise decision, but she needed to learn as much as she could.

Throughout the day, Riley had learned to lie about why she was saying all of those 'crazy' things. Her excuse was apparently a little too convincing, because one of her teachers told her to not do the homework that was assigned. The brunette had decided to tell people that she had hit her head hard last night, and that she was feeling wacky from the mild concussion she had. People bought it, so Riley went with it.

Lucas' truck pulled up behind Farkle's as soon as the two were out of the car. Her three friends were quick to get out, Maya brandishing a small plastic bag with green herbs in it. Riley hoped it wasn't drugs, but she knew that it was. The new Maya was very different than they old one, but with everything that had happened in her life, Riley understood.

The five made their way inside Farkle's house, separating once more to go get snacks and drinks. Riley and Farkle went to the basement, leaving the others behind.

"You know, I've been thinking about what you were saying earlier." Farkle started.

"It's my concussion-" Riley started.

"Cut the bullshit," Farkle interrupted a little harshly. Riley turned to him as he sat down on the couch. The boy sank back into it, getting comfortable. "We both know you don't have a concussion."

"Then what do I have?" The brunette replied, taking a seat next to Farkle. When he didn't answer, Riley swung her legs over Farkle's and rested them on his thighs, making sure to hit him in the process. But he still didn't answer.

Riley sank back into the couch and let out a long sigh. "This can't be my life, Farkle. This isn't my life. No matter what you guys say, I know that I don't belong here. Where I'm from, we're freshmen. Maya's mom is alive. My parents are not divorced." She took a pause. Farkle was observing her, obviously intrigued by her crazy talk. "You guys aren't like this, back home."

"Tell me what's different about us."

"Everything." Riley said. She opened her mouth to continue, but their three friends were coming down the steps.

"Yo, Riles. Maybe you're in an alternate reality." Maya said with a chuckle. Riley groaned – she didn't think her friends had heard her. Zay and Lucas were the only one to laugh at her comment. Once again, Farkle wasn't laughing at her. He seemed to be the only one who didn't laugh at her.

The blonde handed Riley a beer. She shook her head and her best friend frowned. "You're not drinking?" Maya asked.

"This is definitely not our Riley." Lucas joked.

But Riley stopped listening to the conversation, getting lost in her thoughts. It all made sense. How had she not thought about it? Zay had read the card to her. He had said, word for word, that the artifact was a gateway to another world.

Riley had found another world.

This was why everything was so different.

She was in an alternate reality where her life, her friends, her family; they were all different. And so was she.

Suddenly, the brunette turned to Farkle. "I need your help with something." She said quietly as Lucas and Zay continued their heated argument about something that had happened in Texas.

"Anything." Farkle replied.


	5. Who the hell is Riley Matthews?

**A/N: Hello (from the other siiiiiiiiide) everyone! I am so sorry that I have not updated in a while. I've been in a real shitty mood for a while, and inspiration just wasn't hitting. I have decided that until I finish this story, I will not allow myself to post a second or third multi-chapt. story. They always get all jumbled up in my head and I just can't seem to concentrate on one. I will continue to post one-shots/two-shots because they keep my inspiration going.**

 **Anyways, I am so sorry that you had to wait a whole month for this update, but here it is. Updates will be much more frequent from now on, don't worry too much about it! :) Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Riley paced around Farkle's bedroom as the boy searched the Internet from his computer. The brunette was glad to see that her friend's bedroom hadn't changed, except for the darker blue of his bedsheets. It felt comforting to see that the Farkle she now knew wasn't much different than the one she used to know.

"Hey, Farkle?" Riley asked, finally stopping her pacing. The boy turned his attention to her. "What happened to us?"

"I'm assuming you're speaking about the group." Farkle started, tugging on the beanie at the top of his head. "Well, you and I met in 1st grade. You were my only friend throughout middle school. In 7th grade, Lucas came along and stirred up trouble everywhere he went…" Farkle continued, pausing. "We quickly became friends with him and Maya. Zay came along halfway through the year. Then, high school started, you weren't around anymore-"

"What do you mean?" The girl asked, panic settling in her mind.

"It wasn't just you, really. We all drifted apart. The only two that stayed together were Maya and Lucas. They're the finest of trouble-makers. Zay mostly kept to himself, and so did you." Farkle concluded.

Riley sat on his bed, feeling her eyes water. Her friends were like this because of her. She was the one who caused her friends to drift apart and end up as a bunch of jack-asses who cussed and smoked weed.

The girl felt Farkle sit down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her to comfort her, pulling her close. Riley hadn't even noticed that she had been crying until Farkle brushed his thumb against her cheek, wiping away a tear.

"Riley, it's okay. We all still see each other. We're all still friends." He tried. Little did he know that that wasn't the reason why she was crying. She missed her home – her group of friends, her parents, her little brother – everything about this place was nowhere near what she was used to.

"I want to go home." The brunette whispered. Farkle pulled her closer, almost sitting her on his lap. He rested his chin at the top of her head, waiting for her to calm down. As a man of logic, Farkle was aware that there was no such thing as alternate universes, but if his friend thought she was from one, he would help her come back to her senses. He wished he could logically explain it to her, but the Riley he knew had always been more heart than mind, whereas this Riley seemed to be more mind than heart. As much as he wanted to believe her, it was hard. He never believed in anything that couldn't be explained by logic, and alternate universes fell within that spectrum. But he also couldn't deny the fact that something had been very different about riley. Like she was a completely different person.

"Then let's get you home." Farkle concluded. Riley looked up at the boy, who wiped her tears away. She gave him a small smile and he couldn't help but smile back. Just as he was about to say something else, the door flew open.

"Woah! You guys are sitting pretty close." Maya exclaimed, letting some smoke escape while she spoke, leaving the joint hanging from her lips. The duo finally realized how close they actually were and both stood up. "Did I interrupt a moment?" The blonde continued, pulling the joint away from her lips and giving them a toothy grin. Farkle rolled his eyes.

"Nothing happened, Shortstack. You know the rules, no smoking upstairs." The boy continued, pushing the blonde out of his bedroom. He shut the door and pressed his back against it as the blonde knocked relentlessly. "How about you come back on Friday? We can get some work done without the crazies to interrupt us." Farkle proposed. Riley accepted his proposal and he let the door fly open before Maya jumped onto his bed and made herself comfortable against the galaxy-printed pillows.

* * *

"Hello, Riley." Topanga greeted from the kitchen table. Farkle had driven Riley back home after their other friends had left. "Dinner's in the fridge." Topanga greeted, going back to the book she was reading.

"I'm not that hungry." Riley said, dropping her backpack near the door and making her way to her room after her mother didn't reply. It was a bit strange that she couldn't talk to her mother about what happened today – mostly because her day involved cigarettes, beer and marijuana.

The brunette sat on her bed, pulling out her eReader from under her pillow, where she always left it. She grabbed the remote to her speaker and turned it on, leaving it on a random pop radio station. About five seconds later, her brother walked in and shut the door behind him. He sat on the edge of her bed and waited for his younger sister to look up at him.

"You smell like pot." He pointed out.

"Should I be worried that you know what pot smells like?" Riley asked him, her older sister ways kicking in. He chuckled at her question.

"We still on for tomorrow night?" He asked her, completely ignoring what had just happened between them.

The brunette put her eReader down, furrowing her brows. "What's happening tomorrow night?" She asked.

"Dinner with dad. Remember?"

"Oh. Yes. I remember now." The brunette replied. Auggie nodded at her and stood up, leaving her room without another word.

Tomorrow night would be interesting.


End file.
